The present disclosure relates generally to a device and method for thawing frozen items such as, but not limited to, frozen foods.
Culinary schools teach that one of the fastest and safest method for thawing frozen items—particularly frozen meat—is to place the frozen item under a running cold liquid such as water. However, such a process can still take a substantial amount of time, usually between 30-60 minutes. Running cold water over a frozen item for 30-60 minutes can waste a lot of water and also monopolize the kitchen faucet, interfering with other food preparation, and is generally undesirable. An alternative method is to place the frozen item into a container filled with stagnate water, such a process potentially taking more time than the running water approach. In both approaches, the frozen item must be regularly checked in order to ascertain whether the frozen item has thawed.
There are other “quick thaw” devices, including defrosting trays which use a metal surface for heat transfer to defrost frozen items. However, metal defrosting trays potentially subject the frozen item to airborne bacteria and take longer to thaw than circulating water. Additionally, while a sous vide device could have the capability to thaw food by circulating water and controlling water temperature, such devices are costly and as such are prohibitively expensive for most users. Furthermore, none of the mentioned devices has any system or method to provide any indication as to when the thawing process is complete, other than the user manually checking the frozen item.
What is needed then are improvements in devices and methods for thawing frozen items.